Sacrifice
by Kaze
Summary: One girl's sacrifice to save her family 200 years earlier will play her into the hands of someone with a hatred of the gundam pilots. but in particular pilot 01 - Heero Yuy...
1. Prologue (part 1)

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Disclaimer: See notes in author's notes at the beginning of this fic.

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Sacrifice - the act of destroying or giving up something valued for the sake of another.

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Prologue

"They're here" the girl's voice echoed softly in the room, if she felt fear her voice showed no sign of it.

The other occupant of the room looked at her fear filling his light brown eyes.

The girl looked at him with a smile, a smile which did not touch the sadness in her darker brown eyes "Don't worry little brother, they won't get you..."

"P... promise?" the boy, a child of about six asked shakily.

"Of course!" The girl's voice was fierce. "You're my brother, I won't let anything happen to you!" She hugged him. "I'll always protect you... Always!"

She heard the sound of banging at the front door and straightened "You've got to hide, it's not safe" snagging her mother's laptop from the nearby table with one hand she grabbed her brother's hand with the other. "Come on!" As she half towed, half-dragged the younger child from the room she heard the sound of pounding. _I have to hurry, the front door's sturdy but it won't last forever and the inner door's hopeless. _Pulling the boy up a flight of steps onto the half landing she dragged him into the bathroom, dropping his hand and setting the laptop onto the floor. "Don't move!" Without looking to see if he was listening to her she stood on the rim of the bathtub and pushed at the panel that led to a small storage space. It wasn't the true attic - that was another flight of stairs up, but it wasn't quite as obvious as the trapdoor leading to the attic. As the panel finally shifted she heard the thudding from the outer front door getting louder _We haven't long before that door gives in, _jumping down she scooped up the laptop, before perching awkwardly on the rim.

Precious seconds were lost as she caught her balance, but finally she was able to straighten and push the laptop into the storage space, she looked down at her brother who was sitting curled into the bathroom corner. "Ok Lulo, get up and come over here."

Lulo stared at her.

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We don't have time for this, they could break down the door at any minute "Lulo..." Her eyes narrowed, her voice stern.

Her brother reacted to the tone of her voice, jumping up from the corner and moving over to her at a pace that was something between a walk and a run. Scooping him up she staggered a bit from his weight, but eventually managed to lift him up enough so that his hands snagged on the rim of the entrance to the storage space. Finally with some pushing on her behalf and some scrambling on his part he was in the space. "Lulo..." She paused, and then continued. "Lulo stay here, I'll be right back." She left the bathroom at a half-run _I have to go get mum's disks - she said it was important that they never fall into the wrong hands... _Running up the next flight she skidded through the open door of her mother's bedroom and scooped up the medium-sized box lying on the floor. _Mum's disks..._ Turning to leave her eyes fell on the photograph lying on the shelf. _I haven't got time for this..._

Running back into the bathroom a few minutes later she heard splintering coming from the direction of the front door _Time is running out..._ As quickly as she could she pushed the box up into the storage space, her only words of warning a "Lulo move out the way!" She felt a sense of satisfaction as she pushed the box into the space _They'll never get their hands on either Lulo or the stuff mum's on disks now, I've made sure of it... _She reached for the panel...

"Lethna what ya doing?"

Opening her mouth to speak she froze as she heard the outer front door finally give way, _My time just ran out... _Determination flashed across her eyes and recovering she pulled at the panel "In a minute or so some very bad men will be coming..."

"Lethna..."

Her voice cut across his sharply! "There's no time, just listen! Bad men are coming, people who want to hurt you and so you must stay very quiet until mum gets back. Do you understand?"

"But Leth..."

She heard the inner front door go and the shouts of the men "Promise me Lulo" she hissed sharply. "Stay quiet until mum gets back." The tone of her voice gentled as the panel slipped into place "And never forget..." She reached for the outer bolt. "Never forget I love you..." The bolt slid into place and she jumped off the bath and turned facing the bathroom door. "I love both of you..." She heard footsteps coming up the stairs and forced herself to stare at the door, forced herself not to draw attention to the panel leading to the storage space _I must keep Lulo safe..._

The door slammed opened, the man filling up the entire doorframe, she heard him yell to someone, presumably one of the other guards that he'd found one and then she was being dragged out from the bathroom. Forcing herself not to turn and look back she could only hope that she'd done enough to hide her brother from them. _Lulo... Mum... You're the only family I have... And I love you... I'll always love you... Always!_

***

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Something was wrong... The woman shivered slightly as she turned the corner into her road. All day during work she'd had a feeling that something wasn't quite right, that something was going to happen. Maybe that was why she'd plead illness and left an hour or two earlier then she would have normally, maybe that was why she had driven home a little faster then she normally would... She parked the car and grabbing the keys, paused only to lock the car door before walking back down towards the house. Maybe... She froze as she saw the shattered doors to her house. _No! It can't be! _Fear found her running through a house that had been turned upside down _My children! _Running up the stairs, she fought the urge to scream out the names of her children, an urge that became harder to deny as she passed empty room after empty room. Eventually however she found herself sinking to the floor in the bathroom "Have I come home too late?" The softly spoken words were full of despair. "If only I hadn't gone..." A noise cut off the rest of whatever she had been about to say, an inkling of hope bubbling up - the noise had sounded suspiciously like the word 'mum'. Ears straining, she waited, hoping against hope until finally she heard it again, a voice coming from the storage space. Hands that shook pushed at the panel, a dim corner of her mind noting that it had been bolted from the outside from someone. Eventually she was able to push the panel open her hand groping automatically for a light. A flash of light and then she was looking into the eyes of her son. She lifted him carefully out and as she did so he clung to her shaking, as if he never wanted to let him go. At this moment in time that was fine by her, she didn't want to let him go either. Eventually though reluctantly she put him down "Lulo, where's Lethna?"

He stared at her, starting to shake again.

A sense of foreboding washed through her - the panel had been locked from the outside and Lulo hadn't done it, but she didn't want to believe, couldn't let herself believe. She forced herself to ask again "Where's your sister Lulo?"

His reply was so quiet she had to strain her ears to hear "The bad men... They... They took her mum." The rest of his words followed as they were by a flood of tears were equally hard to make out "I was scared, but she told me to be quiet and she left me up there so they wouldn't find me and she hid your puter up there with me too and I could hear the bad men shouting and..."

"It's ok Lulo" scooping him up she hugged him again. It was all she could do. Lulo mumbled something into her dress. "What is it Lulo?"

He sniffled "...Said she loved me. Said she always love me..."

Turned as he was he didn't see the tear fall from her eye _Lethna... Thank you for protecting my son... Your sacrifice won't be in vain my daughter..._


	2. Notes

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Author's notes

1. I don't own Gundam Wing, I'm just a poor broke l'il student with an obsession with Gundam Wing.

2. Any characters you don't recognise belong to me, please don't use them without asking me.

3. This story is likely to contain YAOI so if you don't like don't read. It will also contain at least two original characters and if you have something against original characters again don't read.

4. Although part 1 of the prologue is not set in the GW universe, the second part is and chapter 1 onwards will be too. Please be kind to me as this is my first ever Gundam Wing fanfiction.

5. Thoughts in this story are written in _italics._

6. Flames will be ignored, but all reviews, constructive criticisms and cups of coffee will be looked over gratefully and then rejoiced over. Big hint: Please, please review!!!

7. The rating will likely definitely go up as the story progresses as it will contain angst amongst other things.

8. Part 2 of the prologue is now up as of 30.01.2002

9. Part 1 is up as of 06.02.2002, wasn't happy with the first uploading and so it's been edited. Still no gundam boys yet, but they are coming, probably in part 3.

10. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing this story Kylie, I hope you like Part 1. as much you liked the prologue.

11. No more notes for now, but this section will be updated as needed, for now just enjoy the story.

~ Azuriana


	3. Prologue (part 2)

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Disclaimer: See notes in author's notes at the beginning of this fic.

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A.C. 194

"Damn you Joseph!" The half-slurred and bitter words echoed in the dimly lit room, the speaker - their owner sat alone, the faint light given off by the small lamp with the slowly dying bulb unable to do more than to show glimpses of long hair turned white with age. A hand reached from the shadows, picking up a photo that had been left face down on the small table, the gold from the simple frame glittering weakly as it hit the light. Cold grey eyes looked over the six smiling men posed in the picture, their gaze lingering on one man in particular - a man whose greying hair fell to his shoulders, his right hand replaced by a claw. He knew the eyes hidden by the pair of glasses set with thick lenses would be grey. They were after all the same eyes that he saw each time he stared out at the world or looked in a mirror. With his other hand he raised a tumbler of whiskey to his lips, mockingly saluting the man with the claw before completely draining the amber contents of the tumbler. His thoughts drifted twenty years back to when his brother, like him had still been part of the Alliance's mobile suit development, back to when Heero Yuy had still been alive...

~ ~ _Flashback ~ ~_

A.C. 175 (20 years before the Eve Wars)

"Michael, just the person I was looking for."

"Whatever you want the answer's no." Michael Stone spoke to his older brother without bothering to look up from the plans he was working on. The plans depicted a new type of mobile suit, one that would be built completely from gundamnian alloy... One that would be far superior to the mass-produced mobile suits those military generals in the Alliance seemed to be favouring. He'd been working on these plans for three years now and they were his baby...

"Michael..." Joseph Stone's voice held the usual patronising note that he seemed to reserve especially for him. "You still working on that junk?"

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It's hardly a piece of junk brother dear... Rather it's going to be the mobile suit to end all mobile suits... Habit had him refraining from speaking his thoughts out loud knowing that his brother was only trying to get a rise out of him. Besides for once it was going to be him, not his genius of a brother in the spotlight. _At least once I've built it I will be, no-one's ever thought to use gundamnian alloy to build a mobile suit before... Maybe I should call it a gundam... Maybe..._

"If I can tear you away from your pet project for just a second..." Michael hid a smile as he heard the annoyance in his brother's voice.

Michael reluctantly looked up "Why are you still here?"

"Because I'm trying to introduce you to a colleague of mine, Professor Gerald..."

"Professor G's fine." For the first time Michael noticed his brother's companion.

Joseph grinned at him "You just don't like me calling your name."

The long-nosed, man with the mushroom hair haircut mock-glared at him "Well I don't see you using your name J," he looked over at the papers that Michael had gone back to jotting notes on. "Mind if I have a look?"

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Yes I do actually...

"Oh Michael doesn't like anyone looking at this project of his" Joseph said carelessly. "Not even I am allowed to go near his plans much less look at them..."

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He's made me sound like a possessive obsessive... Michael sighed to himself, forcing himself to smile. "It's not that I don't like anyone looking at them" he stared pointedly at his brother. "But I'm hardly likely to want to show my 'pet' project to someone who thinks it's a piece of junk."

"He's got you there J" Professor G grinned at his disgruntled friend.

Michael found himself laughing despite himself at the look on his brother's face. "I was going to go to lunch soon, but..."

"I tell you what, how about you take a break from those plans of yours and let me have a look at them over lunch - that is if you'll let me see them." Despite phrasing it as a statement, G still managed to make it sound like a question.

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Oh why the hell not, it's not like it'll do any harm "Sure, I need to talk to Howard anyway. That is if he can be dragged away from working on that combative mobile suit he's been working on." Actually the combative mobile suit in question was in reality a group effort of which both Professor G and his brother were a part off. But it had been Howard's brainchild and the Hawaiian shirt-wearing scientist put in far more many hours on it than the others did.

"He was still working on the Tallgeese when we came to find you, but I'm sure even he's stopped to take a break. He loves food almost as much as he loves working on the Tallgeese."

In the process of rolling up the plans Michael nodded "Give me a minute and then we'll go..."

~ ~ _End flashback ~ ~_

Amber drops of whiskey dropping on his hand jolted him out of his thoughts. _In those days he hadn't hated Joseph, sure his brother had irritated him - he was his sibling after all and what sibling didn't irritate their other siblings? But he hadn't hated his brother with the deep, intensifying soul-deep hatred that he did now. That had come later, after a shot fired on April 7th in A.C. 175 had changed the course of history forever..._

~ ~ _Flashback ~ ~_

9th April A.C. 175

"I'm quitting the mobile suit project."

Michael looked over at his brother "What?"

"I said I'm quitting the mobile suit project" Joseph didn't even bother to look up from the drink in front of him. "We all are."

"Even Howard?" After the completion of Tallgeese, the Hawaiian-shirt wearing scientist had been working on a way to mass-produce the suit without it losing any of its power or speed.

"He feels the same as we do. He cannot understand whois so foolish as to be responsible for this act." _And he cannot sit by and condone those[1] who are blatantly happy now he's gone[2]. Unlike some people..._

Michael's eyes narrowed at the unspoken rebuke but all he said was "The Alliance is hardly likely to let the six of you just get up and quit."

Joseph smirked "True, but what the idiots don't know they won't be able to do anything about. Besides I've been given an offer I can't refuse."

Michael was unable to hide the curiosity in his eyes "What?"

"That... Dear brother would be telling. But lets just say that it'll give us a means to correct the mistake made two days ago..."

~ ~ _End flashback ~ ~_

This time it was the sound of shattering glass that jolted him from his thoughts as dimly he realised that he'd hurled the frame containing his brother and the five others involved in the Tallgeese development project against a wall. A scowl flickering across his face - what his brother had neglected to tell him that day he had explained to him that he was quitting was that he was taking Michael's half-finished plans for a gundamnian mobile suit and the completed zero system plans with him. He downed another glass of whiskey _He stole my work... _Shaky hands poured another glass, amber drops falling to the table as he misjudged the distance between glass and table. _For that he's going to pay... _Cold grey eyes fell on a tattered picture. _He stole my chance at the limelight..._ The hand holding the whiskey glass abandoned it in favour of flipping over the photo. _Therefore I think it fitting that I destroy the best piece of work he's ever done... _He looked at the little boy with messy brown hair and cobalt blue eyes depicted for a moment before tearing apart the photo. Reclaiming his whiskey glass he toasted the falling scraps of picture. _I'm going to destroy your Perfect Soldier... With a perfect soldier... No a perfect assassin of my own making..._

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[1] Those, in case you're wondering are the Alliance

[2] He refers to Heero Yuy in case you're wondering, the original one who was assassinated - not the Heero we've all come to know and love as the Perfect Soldier


	4. 1 - Discovery

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Disclaimer: See notes in author's notes at the beginning of this fic.

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December A.C. 194

Silence... It permeated throughout the base, clung to it's corridors... Once it was said, during the repression years it had been a place to torture undesirables... A place where those who spoke out against Roberts and his campaign of suppression disappeared, often permanently...

Michael Stone smiled grimly to himself. The Repression years had occurred during the ending decades of the AD calendar, when this little part of Eurasia had been known as the United Kingdom.

The Repression years...He'd learnt about them when he'd been a child - every child had... Still did... The survivors of those years had been desperate never to repeat the mistakes of the past and they had got their way because those who would have normally opposed them felt guilty for just sitting there while General Roberts killed over twenty thousand people.

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"Over twenty thousand people died and for what? So that a madman could cling to power?" The famous words which summed up the Repression years had been those of Joanne Wellington a major critic of General Roberts regime. Eventually Wellington had had to flee the UK, taking her six year old son with her. Her oldest child, a girl of about 13 or 14 had 'disappeared' in 2000AD... Joanne had never seen her again.

"Dr. M." The man shifted nervously under the glance that Michael Stone sent his way. "I mean, Sir?"

"What is it?" Irritation at having his thoughts disturbed made his voice cold. _Why did Burnon send me out here with these idiots anyway? I'm sure that there were others he could have used. Others whose time was not quite so valuable..._

"... Sir..."

"What was that?" He realised with a start that he'd missed the other man's reply.

"I said John and me we've found somethin strange and we..."

He cut him off, his voice brusque "You want me to take a look at what ever it is that you've found. Lead the way"

"Sir!"

Michael suppressed a sigh as he followed the other man _Spare me from fools... If it wasn't for the fact Burnon pays me so well and doesn't ask me questions about my... Other activities... I'd have left the company long ago - I hate fools... _It was however precisely because Pierce Burnon's, head of one of the largest mobile suits manufacturing plants on Earth was not one to ask questions that he was still working for him. _Of course the large salary helps too... _He smirked _Besides Burnon's dealings are too shady for him to be too picky about who he hires... If the Alliance ever found out that he sells off the old suits on the side to anyone willing to buy them then..._

"Here it is..."

Jolted out of his thoughts for the second or was it third time that day he stared at what looked to be a piece of wall in barely veiled contempt "What is?" _This is what was so important... A piece of wall?_

"Sir" the other man was speaking, a John something or another. "Part of this wall's hollow, like there's something behind it or something. Pete found it by accident and we figured you ought to take a look. So I sent John to find you..."

Michael frowned, not wanting to belief the men that Burnon had sent with him and maybe have to revise his opinion of them, he did so hate being wrong. "Where?"

One of them, he wasn't sure which (and to be honest didn't care either) pointed to where a mark had been made on the wall. "I..."

Ignoring him Michael walked forward and used his cane to tap on the wall directly where the mark was. In the silence he could hear the answering echo perfectly...

"Should we inform the boss of what we've found Sir?" One of the men decided reluctantly to break the silence.

"No" Michael's voice was decisive, for some reason he did not want Burnon knowing of this find. "Not yet..."

"But... The boss gave us instructions to report anything of note."

He turned on the one who spoke, the tone of his voice for once showing the full level of contempt he felt for both of them "And what would you have me tell Burnon hmmm? That while inspecting the disused manufacturing base that he recently acquired I came across a hollow wall? Do you think that Burnon would consider a hollow wall something of note?" Grey eyes surveyed them coldly. "Well?"

The man who spoke shook his head.

"So what should we do then... Sir?" the word 'sir' was spoken resentfully.

Michael hid a smirk, "Why get a flashlight and some tools" he spoke as if it was blatantly obvious what course they should take. "We're going to look to see what's behind there."

"I have a flashlight here Sir" one of the two men extended the said apparatus to him.

Motioning him to set it on the floor he shot both of them an irritated look, "Why are you both still here?"

"Sorry Sir, we'll be going now..." The first one, the one who might have been Pete spoke nervously.

"We'll um be back when we have the tools you asked for," the other one added nervously.

This time Michael didn't bother to hide the smirk as both men walked down the corridor as fast they could without seeming to run. _Idiots... _Picking up the flashlight he switched it on. _Now for that wall..._

***

After an hour and a half of careful tapping he'd managed to find out that the hollow bit of the wall was big enough to form a medium-sized doorway. He frowned to himself, his curiosity aroused... _Someone's gone too great lengths to hide whatever's behind here... If those two fools hadn't stumbled across it by accident then..._ He frowned again reluctantly finishing the thought _Then I doubt anyone would have even noticed that there was a part where the wall was hollow. There's nothing to suggest that it should be _he flashed the flashlight over the area again for what must have been the nth time _It looks like any other piece of wall_ sighing he set the flashlight down and tapped at the wall _Stupid me, I half expect there to be a secret catch or some... _He froze as the click echoed in the quiet passage and simultaneously a part of the wall slid away to reveal a set of stairs descending into darkness.

Reclaiming the flashlight he hesitated at the top of the stairs as he wondered whether or not to wait for the two fools that he'd sent to find tools. Eventually however he decided to look alone _Who knows when those two will be back, probably not any time soon..._

The dust coating the stairs muffled his footsteps and by its thickness Michael had a feeling that no one had walked down them in a while.

After descending for what felt like ten minutes, but was probably only five he came to another door. He pushed at it half expecting it to be locked and was surprised when it swung open at his touch. Walking forward, he did not get further than a couple of steps into the room before he froze. He'd stumbled across what looked like some sort of cryogenic lab...


End file.
